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You notice a green spot under the front of the engine
every time you stop. You hope it cures itself, but instead of disappearing, the
spot gets bigger. You check all of the
obvious things, hoses, clamps, heater core, radiator. You even check the dipstick, no water in the
oil, so it must be the water pump. Leaks
are just one of the symptoms of a defective water pump. You may hear a rumble or even growl coming
from the pump. The fan may even start to
wobble. Both of these symptoms are a
sign of water pump bearing failure. With
any of these problems you will want to replace the water pump as soon as
possible to prevent any damage.
Replacing the water pump is a very simple matter. All you need are a few hand tools, some
antifreeze, a little time and the right pump.
Since we could supply everything but the water pump, we contacted Zip Products, Inc.,
8067 Fast Lane, Mechanicsville, VA 23111, (800) 962-9632 and they sent out a brand new GM pump for our Project 64. In less than 2 hours our 64 Corvette had a
new water pump and was back on the road.
Now let’s get our hands dirty!
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01: This is the new water pump we received from Zip. You will also need some regular hand tools,
antifreeze and engine paint. You may
also want to consider purchasing new hoses, belts, and clamps if your present
ones are old or damaged. |
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02: Clean off the new pump using lacquer thinner or
alcohol and tape off the fan mounting hub, shaft and all openings. Then spray a light cover coat Chevrolet Orange. Let this tack and
then spray 2 or 3 medium coats allowing approximately 10 minutes between each
coat. While the pump is drying, start
your disassembly. This way when you are
ready to install the new pump, it will be totally dry.
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03: Start by draining the cooling system. If your radiator has a petcock, open it and
drain the old antifreeze into an acceptable container. Then take it to a gas station or auto parts
store so it can be disposed of properly.
If your radiator does not have a petcock, or it is damaged, you can
still drain the radiator by loosening the lower radiator hose clamp and letting
the fluid drain out. |
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04: While the old pump is still mounted, remove all of the
water pump plugs and fittings. Now
loosen and remove the fan, belts, brackets and hoses. It is a good idea to put tags on each of the
belts explaining where they go and in what order they were installed.
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05: Now remove the old water pump. Use a scraper to clean all of the old gasket
material completely off the block. When
this is removed, you may want to touch up the paint on the front of the block.
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06: You will have to remove the fan mounting studs from
the fan hub. This can be done by using a
pair of vise grips, stud puller socket or double nuts. To use double nuts, put two nuts onto the
stud, tighten one against the other, then using a wrench on the nut closest to
the hub, twist the stud out. One nut
will lock against the other and you will twist the stud right out.
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07: Now put liquid teflon or teflon tape onto the threads
of any plug or fitting and screw them into the new water pump. |
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08: Spray gasket cement onto the water pump gaskets and
put them into place on the pump. |
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09: Install the new pump.
Make sure the gaskets stay in place and use a thread sealer on the
bolts. This will prevent water from
seeping past the threads and causing a drip at the bolt head. |
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10: With the new water pump in place, tighten all of the
plugs and fittings. Re-install the hoses
and hose clamps.
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11: Now install the belts, (Here you can see our tags on
each belt showing their location) pulleys, brackets and fan. Only snug the fan into place. It is much easier to tighten when the belts
have been adjusted. |
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12: Using a belt tension tool is the easiest way to adjust
the belt tension. These are readily
available in most auto parts stores and discount tool catalogs and are very
inexpensive. |
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13. With everything back into place and tightened to
specs, fill your car with the appropriate mixture of antifreeze and water for
your area. Start your car and remember
to open the heater up fully so that the system will totally circulate. Let the car run until it reaches normal
running temperature. Check the fluid
level and top it off as needed.
Remember, there is a cold and hot level on the radiator expansion tank
so you will have to fill it to the appropriate level. When you are done, install the cap. After it has cooled down, you will want to
check the fluid level again. If the
motor is cold, it should be at the cold level.
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14: Here is our new water pump installed and ready for the
road again. |
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WATER PUMP INSTALL:
63+ CORVETTE WATER PUMP INSTALLATION
SOURCE:
Zip Products, Inc.
8067 Fast Lane
Mechanicsville, VA 23111
(800) 962-9632
PARTS LIST:
The Author would like to thank Scott Coral of Greg Donahue Collector Car Restorations, Inc. for his
assistance with this article.
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